1) The Hotline typically judges coaching moves by the reaction they’re likely to generate in football offices across the conference.

If your opponents are worried, that’s a good thing.

Can’t imagine USC’s opponents are concerned. The opposite, in fact. (Especially across town.)

2) One could argue, however, that this was a bad move for the greater state of Pac-12 football.

The conference is better off with USC thriving, just as the Big Ten is better off when Ohio State competes for playoff berths.

Viewing the situation impartially, the Hotline believes the best outcome for the collective would have been for USC to dismiss Helton and hire the No. 1 coach on the market.

In other words: Doing what UCLA did a year ago.

3) In his statement to USC fans, athletic director Lynn Swann cited a preference for stability and noted that Notre Dame faced the same situation following the 2016 season. “That administration remained committed to their head coach,” Swann wrote.

The decision to retain Brian Kelly despite a 4-8 record obviously has paid hefty dividends for the Irish. But Swann’s comparison is deeply flawed.

He gives zero regard to the resumes of the two coaches.

* Kelly had turned Central Michigan into a nine-game winner, produced three seasons of 10+ victories at Cincinnati and taken Notre Dame to the national championship. Career wins: 231.

* Helton had never been a head coach until his chaos-fueled promotion three years ago. Career wins: 32.

Swann might prove correct in his decision, but it won’t be because Helton is Kelly’s equal.

4) One number we’ll track carefully next season: Attendance.

The empty seats in the Coliseum this season were almost as glaring as the lack of discipline on the field. The Trojans averaged 55,449 per game, down from 72,683 last year and from 68,459 two years ago.

Another significant drop in ’19, and school will have no choice but to make a change — or so you’d think.

For more context on the state of the USC program, here’s a deep dive that compares the Trojans to their blue-blooded peers that published Sunday morning.

1. Washington (9-3/7-2)Last week: 2Result: Won at Washington State 28-15Next up: vs. Utah (Friday in Santa Clara)Comment: The Hotline is a firm believer that a half-dozen plays define any given season for any given team. But for the Huskies in 2018, it was just two: A missed field goal and a Pick Six. Turn the former into three points and the latter into an incomplete pass, and UW is playing for a semifinal berth.

2. Washington State (10-2/7-2)Last week: 1Result: Lost to Washington 28-15Next up: regular season completeComment: Updating from earlier item: Washington State would have two landing spots as an at-large team, the Fiesta or the Peach, which are not bound to select conference champions.

3. Utah (9-3/6-3)Last week: 3Result: Beat Brigham Young 35-27Next up: vs. Washington (Friday in Santa Clara)Comment: The Holy War isn’t a fair fight anymore: The Utes spent the first half dreaming of roses, letting BYU think it actually had a chance to win, then got serious and demolished the Cougars in the final 30.

4. Stanford (7-4/5-3)Last week: 4Result: Won at UCLA 49-42Next up: at CalComment: Five passing touchdowns, only 126 yards on the ground, all those points (for and against) — the Cardinal has completely remade itself in the past few years. Whether that’s good or not is another matter.

5. Oregon (8-4/5-4)Last week: 5Result: Won at Oregon State 55-15Next up: regular season completeComment: Given that NFL teams have thus far not punished players (via the draft) for skipping bowl games, and given Justin Herbert’s history of injuries — two make a history — we don’t expect to see him on the field for the Ducks ever again.

6. Arizona State (7-5/5-4)Last week: 6Result: Won at Arizona 41-40Next up: regular season completeComment: Updating the stat referenced in Saturday Night Five (with all Week 13 games accounted for): The Sun Devils are third in the FBS and first in the Power Five in ball security, with just nine turnovers all season. Nobody in the Pac-12 is even close.

7. Cal (7-4/4-4)Last week: 7Result: Beat Colorado 33-21Next up: vs. StanfordComment: A victory this week would end an eight-game losing streak to Stanford and give the Bears their first winning season in conference play since 2009. (The year Sonny Dykes went bowling, they were 4-5.)

10. Arizona (5-7/4-5)Last week: 10Result: Lost to Arizona State 41-40Next up: regular season completeComment: Publishers of the perennial best-seller ‘More Games Are Lost Than Won’ have a team for the 2019 cover.

11. Colorado (5-7/2-7)Last week: 11Result: Lost at Cal 33-21Next up: regular season completeComment: Greatest collapse in conference history is official: No team has lost seven in a row after winning its first five. Even worse, the Buffaloes have lost 10 consecutive games with a bowl berth at stake.

12. Oregon State (2-10/1-8)Last week: 12Result: Lost to Oregon 55-15Next up: regular season completeComment: With each week, the victory in Boulder becomes more surreal. The Beavers weren’t close to winning before or after: All eight conference losses are by 17 points or more.

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